Central America Weekend Preview (May 16-18)

Chorrillo (left) and Rio Abajo (right) will meet in the Panamanian Clausura final on May 17, 2014, in Panama City. (Photo courtesy of the Liga Panameña de Fútbol)

Champions will be crowned in Guatemala, Panama and Nicaragua, while the semifinal round in El Salvador wraps up. CONCACAF.com previews the weekend across the Central American region.

GUATEMALA

On Sunday, Comunicaciones will look to complete its run to a fourth straight title, when it carries a 1-0 lead into the Clausura final, second leg encounter against visiting Municipal. Jose Manuel Contreras (56’) scored the only goal Thursday’s opener.

The Cremas have won five consecutive post-season games by a combined score of 7-1, while Municipal is now winless in its last three playoff outings.

Both Guatemala City giants have already secured places in the 2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League.

EL SALVADOR

The Clausura semifinals conclude this weekend with all four teams in strong contention for a place in the final.

Top-seeded FAS will look to reverse a 1-0 first-leg setback to Dragon, when the sides meet Sunday at the Estadio Cuscatlan in San Salvador. Dragon is in good form, going unbeaten in its last four matches, while the Tigres are winless in five of their last eight.

After a 2-2 draw last week, defending champion Isidro Metapan will host Juventud Independiente on Saturday at the Estadio Jorge “Calero” Suarez. Metapan has not lost to Juventud in 2014, going 2-1-0.

PANAMA

A place in the 2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League will be at stake on Saturday, when Rio Abajo and Chorrillo meet in the single-game Clausura final at the Estadio Rommel Fernandez.

The encounter is a battle between two teams with only one title between them. Chorrillo won the 2011 Apertura and finished as runner-up on two other occasions.

This will be Rio Abajo’s first-ever appearance in the curtain closer after getting past Arabe Unido, 4-0 on aggregate, in the semifinals.

NICARAGUA

Real Esteli can clinch a ninth consecutive title with as little as a draw on Sunday against visiting Diriangen in the second leg of the Clausura final. Samuel Wilson scored both goals for Esteli in its 2-1 opening victory. “El Tren del Norte” is riding a seven-game winning streak. Diriangen has only one win in its last six outings, losing to Esteli twice over that stretch.